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Saturday, November 10, 2012

Lots to love today

 You just have to be a little in love with the garden when there are enough strawberries to eat fresh and to make some jam too. They are all a good size as well which is another bonus. That drop of rain has really freshened them up.

 The borlotti beans are starting to show some good growth. The snake beans are just popping up through the soil, the climbing princesses are living up to their name and climbing higher and higher. The red kidney beans are a little slow to germinate so I might plant some more seeds just to be sure. And I popped a dozen more yin yang beans seeds in today. The good thing about beans is that even if you get sick of them green, they store well and take on a whole new dimension in the kitchen in the winter.
 The small amount of rain that we had (10mm) might not have been enough to fill the tanks but it has refreshed the plants. The goodness that comes down in the rain does wonders and already the tomatoes are showing signs of improvement.

 I'm really enjoying my poppies at the moment. Because of the dry conditions they aren't as large and lush as usual but the flowers are still bright and cheery. This year I didn't sow any Flanders poppies (and none volunteered) so this is as close as I can come to a red poppy for Rememberence Day tomorrow.
 The poppy is interesting no matter what stage the flower is at. Before opening it could probably be described as borderline obscene by some.
 Then it has the gorgeous and quite short lived flower.
 Before progressing onto the seed head which looks almost alien-like. They look good in a bunch, dried and in a vase for a little while before harvesting the seeds.

 Another thing I loved today was having muddy hands. I do wear gloves when I work in the garden but when I sow seeds I sometimes find it easier to have a more hands-on approach. We haven't had such moist soil for a while so it was truly a treat to be a little bit dirty. It's good clean dirt ...right.

About the only thing I didn't enjoy outside today was these beasties. Those dreaded ladybirds that eat potato leaves like nobodies business. They also seem to have a taste for zucchini leaves and pumpkin leaves too. I did my fair share of natural pest control today and am glad I did.

Now I am going to do something else I love to do, some sewing. I have a few swap items to finish up and package up so no pictures just in case someone who isn't supposed to see just might.

Hope you are having a good day, doing what you love.I'd like to hear about it.
Tracy

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Your garden is looking great! I loved those yin and yang beans you sent me, I have a few in seedraising pots ready to plant out soon, they are so beautiful dried, I'm looking forward to seeing what the taste like :)

Anonymous said...

Great pics Tracy. Your garden looks very healthy